Prosecution witness Hope Hicks offers testimony benefiting Trump, backfiring on DA Bragg

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg called former President Donald Trump’s then-communications aide, Hope Hicks, to the witness stand in the so-called hush money trial in which she offered testimony that may have actually benefited the 45th president. 

Trump's attorneys argued that his motivation to silence the accounts of former Playboy model Karen McDougal and porn star Stormy Daniels wasn't to help his 2016 campaign, but rather to protect his family, specifically former First Lady Melania Trump, according to Politico. 

Both women claimed that they have had sexual encounters with the former president. 

When Hicks took the stand, she took the position that while Trump preferred that the Stormy Daniels story came out after the election instead of before, his main interest in keeping these allegations buried was to shield Melania from hearing about it. 

"Absolutely…I don’t think he wanted anyone in his family to be hurt or embarrassed about anything on the campaign. He wanted them to be proud of him," she said, according to Fox News.

Bragg has claimed that Trump paid Daniels to be quiet to benefit his campaign, resulting in allegations that he was unlawfully attempting to influence the election. 

“President Trump really values Mrs. Trump’s opinion, and she doesn’t weigh in all the time, but when she does it’s really meaningful to him," Hicks said, arguing that Trump's main concern was Melania.